Despite what cable news may have you believe, Donald Trump is not the sole threat to our democracy. This week, we're peeling back the rhetoric and taking a look at where the vulnerabilities in our institutions lie. In conversation with Jane Mayer, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New Yorker magazine and Noah Bookbinder, President of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Jon explores the roots of our democratic dysfunction. From ever-multiplying dark money to shark tanking ideas for tax transparency, this episode has it all. Plus, hear from producers of the pod and get a taste for what you can expect in episodes to come!

The media may have you believe that the recent Supreme Court decision on Mifepristone was a win for reproductive rights. In reality, it merely upheld the current status quo – a drastic departure from the standard once set by Roe. And an onslaught of challenges, aimed at making abortion impossible, if not illegal, are on the horizon. Joining us to explore this regression we have Melissa Murray, NYU Law Professor and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny Podcast, and Jessica Valenti, founder of AbortionEveryDay.com and author of the forthcoming book, Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win. Together, they discuss how our distorted democracy brought us to this moment, unpack the backward slide of abortion rights in America, and offer tips on what we can do to counter this trend.